Wow, huge question and a million answers. Primers depended on the material, the manufacturer and the type of top coat
With a cellulose top coat then light sea and mediums sea grey undercoats were common.
Red was typically used on fabric as a shrink coat rather than a primer, you see #red on fabric surfaces like hurricane wings, ailerons rudders etc. its also the reason why gun ports are often red as they would dope fabric over them on fighters. It gets complicated when Bristol used the red as a primer for cellulose on all aircraft when others used grey a whatever they had.
spitfire elevators were fabric till 1944 above
The cockpit green on RAF aircraft was the equivariant of US zinc chromate but not zinc chromate, it was a corrosion inhibitor coating not a finish paint
Wooden aircraft like the Mosquito used a clear or silver tautening dope on the wood and fabric
as a general rule cellulose primer was light or dark grey .........or any other colour available that day
On US aircraft oxide paints were common, they tinted it red so it was more obvious when you missed a bit, the navy Tended to towards yellow oxide or zinc chromate.